Who
We Are
Suggestions
Related Sites
Search
|
Teen Workplace Injury
Lead: Many teenage employees don’t know that they are in danger of workplace injury, and are working in violation of child labor laws.Synopsis:
A fifteen year old Pennsylvania boy who was employed in violation of child labor laws died in a workplace accident. He did not have working papers, he stayed on the job after permitted hours and he was paid under the table, in cash.
While there are many benefits to teenagers working, there are many dangers for these young employees as well. With 35% of 16 and 17 year olds working (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Teens at Work Newsletter, Spring 1998) at any given time, teenagers make up a substantial portion of the nation’s workforce. But very few of these employed teenagers know their employee rights--for example, what they are entitled to if they are injured on the job, and what tasks they are permitted, by law, to perform. Because of their level of development, teens may be reluctant to ask questions or speak up about problems. Many teens report feeling dispensable and believe they will be replaced if they speak up(Teens at Work Newsletter, Spring 1998). The Massachusetts Teen Work Injury Surveillance and Protection Project, part of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, aims to make teen employees, as well as employers and parents, aware of child labor laws, workers compensation laws and other guidelines for working teens. By handing out booklets to health care providers, teens and parents, and employers, the Project hopes to decrease the incidence of teen workplace injuries and to increase awareness of the protection laws that are in place to prevent accidents such as the one in Pennsylvania.
Program:
Massachusetts Teen Work Injury Surveillance and Protection Program Project
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
150 Tremont Street, 8th Floor
Boston, MA 02111
(617) 624-5638
Story Contact:
Ellen Frank, Coordinator
Massachusetts Teen Work Injury Surveillance and Protection Program Project
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
150 Tremont Street, 8th Floor
Boston, MA 02111
(617) 624-5638
Expert Contact:
David Wegman, M.D.
Professor and Chair
Department of Work Environment
University of Massachusetts, Lowell
(508) 934-3265
davidwegman@uml.edu
Chairperson of the Institute of Medicine Committee, authors of Protecting Youth at Work report
Background:
Approximately 80% of teenagers have had a job by the time they graduate from high school. Nearly 200,000 teens in the U.S are injured on the job every year. (Massachusetts Department of Health, Young Workers Project, pamphlet, A Guide for Teens, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. www.cdc.gov/niosh/homepage.html)
In 1993, 68 adolescents under age 18 died from work-related injuries, and an estimated 64, 000 required treatment in hospital emergency rooms. (NIOSH Alert, May 1995, U.S. Department of Public Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, www.cdc.gov/niosh/homepage.html)
As new workers, adolescents are likely to be inexperienced and unfamiliar with many of the tasks required of them, unable to recognize workplace hazards, and unaware of their rights as workers. Many of teenager’s positive traits, combined with a reluctance to ask questions can result in their taking on tasks for which they are neither prepared nor capable of doing safely. (“Protecting Working Teens, A Public Health Resource Guide, Occupational Health Surveillance Program, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 150 Tremont Street, 8th Floor Boston, MA 02111)
Studies show that teens generally do not receive adequate occupational health and safety training either in school or on the job. Many of the available training materials are not geared toward youth. The American Academy of Pediatrics, American Public Health Association, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health have all called for better training and education on issues related to the health and safety of teen workers. (American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Enviromental Health, 1995, The hazards of child labor. Pediatrics, 95 (2): 311-313)
National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety interviews with a sample of youth injured on the job in 1992 found 20% of the 14 to 16 year olds interviewed were engaged in activities typically prohibited under the Fair Labor Standards Act. (Knight, D.B. Castillo, D.N., & Layne, L.A., 1995, American Journal of Industrial Medcine., 27: 793-805.)
Between fiscal years 1983 and 1990, the U.S Department of Labor found 1,475 serious injuries among children employed in violation of child labor laws. Most violations were associated with hazardous occupations (85%), as opposed to minimum age and maximum hour requirements. (U.S. General Accounting Office, June 1991. Child labor: Characteristics of working children, Report No. GAO/HRD 91-83BR. Washington D.C.: U.S. General Accounting Office.)
The Child Labor Advisory Committee was formed in 1990 to recommend updates to the state’s child labor laws (Washington state). Representing business, labor, education, and health, the group issued suggestions in 1992 that subsequently became law. Change were made in the number of allowable hours of work, quit times, prohibited duties, and the permit process. ( Booklet, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Occupational Health and Surveillance Program, "Protecting Working Teens: A Public Health Resource Guide", August 1995)
Related MaterialAlonso-Zaldivar, Ricardo. (August 22, 1998).
From suburbs to farms, work injuries fall hardest on teen in growing economy;
Labor: As job market expands, young workers are being asked to assume more responsibilities
and consequently face greater occupational hazards. Los Angles Times.
Injuries can be prevented with more
education and safety measures.
Staff. January 9, 1998. Preventable work place
injuries cost billions. Seattle Times.,
Work injury statistics falling.
Staff. July 21, 1997. Working for safety and productivity: But where do doctors'
loyalties lie? Milwaukee Journal Sentinal.
Changes in laws and rules are coming with
programs.